Network for Research and Development in Africa

International Journal of Pure and Applied Science Research

International Journal of Pure & AppliedISSN: 2384-5918.
Science ResearchVolume 12, Number 6
Pages 10-18 (April, 2023)
DOI: 67321673211263
https://arcnjournals.org

Effect of Constructivist and Demonstration Methods on

mathematics Performance in Algebra in Senior Secondary
School Students in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria
KABIRU faruk
08063575517 | kabirufarukut@gmail.com | Department of Mathematics Shehu Shagari College of
Education Sokoto
ABUBAKAR, Ayuba
08038835374 | ayubaabubakargoga@gmail.com | Department of Mathematics Adamu Augie College
of Education Argungu, Kebbi State
ZAINAB Abubakar
08168170132 | Shehu Shagari College of Education Sokoto

Abstract: The research assessed the effect of constructivist and demonstration methods on mathematics
performance in Algebra in senior secondary school students in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria. Quasi-experimental
Research design was adopted for this study. The population of this study consist of 83,738 and sample of 164 Students
was selected. Three (3) research questions were formulated and answer using decretive statistics (mean and standard
deviation) and three (3) null hypotheses were also formulated and tested using t-test statistics at 0.05 level of
significance. Algebraic Performance Test (APT) was used as instrument for data collection, which was validated and
reliability index was found to be 0.902 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Some of the findings study
include: students performed significantly better in Algebra when taught using constructivist method, while the
demonstration method had least Mean score. It was also revealed that constructivist method is gender pair. It was
recommended that Mathematics teacher should use constructivist method in teaching Algebra since it enhances
students’ performance, Teachers using demonstration method of teaching should be improved so as to meet the gaps
between the two methods.

Keywords: H. Pylori, Ulcer, Duodenal and Gastric.

INTRODUCTION
Education at secondary school level is the bedrock and foundation towards higher knowledge in tertiary
institutions. Abdulrahman, (2012) stipulated that secondary education is an instrument for national
development. It can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific
and cultural development. The importance of mathematics knowledge in understanding engineering and

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technical education studies cannot be over emphasized. The way and manner the knowledge of
mathematics is passed from teachers to students is an important factor that influences performance in
the subject. Mathematics is made a compulsory subject in senior secondary education in Nigeria.
Mathematics is increasingly important, as it provides a means to create, acquire, organize
and apply information. Mathematics plays an important role in communicating ideas through making
pictorial, graphical, symbolic, descriptive and analytical representations of numerical and mathematical
ideas, and hence lays a strong foundation for students’ lifelong learning. Mathematical experiences
acquired in schools enable students to become mathematically literate citizens and contribute towards
social prosperity (Ojimba, 2012).
Equally, in Nigeria, Mathematics is a core subject in the new senior secondary curriculum and is a
continuation of the junior secondary mathematics curriculum. It aims to furnish students with the
necessary mathematical knowledge and skills to live successfully in society. Mathematics is also a subject
that cuts across primary and secondary school as a compulsory subject.
Constructivist learning is an approach that can enable all the learners to construct valid knowledge
and also enable them to transmit it in different context. Learning in the constructivist framework
contributes to intellectual, social and psychological development of learners unlike other method of
instruction. Constructivist pedagogy in mathematics believes that learners can construct knowledge by
active participation rather than acquiring knowledge by watching teacher’s demonstration in the
classroom and, to learn to speak and act mathematically participating in mathematical discussion and
solving new or unfamiliar problems (Richards, 2006).
There are many causes of poor performance in mathematics among students. Lack of well trained
teachers, inadequate of teaching facilities, lack of fund to purchase necessary equipment and other
factors all hamper the smooth acquisition of mathematics knowledge. The advantage of constructivist in
mathematics is that it allows students to develop critical thinking skills. Undue emphasis on the coverage
of mathematics syllabus at the expense of meaningful learning of mathematics concepts and inadequate
facilities and mathematics laboratories. Mbugua, Kibet, Muthaa and Nkonke, (2012) were of the view that
mathematics performance of students can be improved by provision of proper staffing, teaching
materials, curriculum, motivation. Constructivist instruction builds on the student’s existing knowledge
base, extends the individual’s repertoire of cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies, and corrects specific
learning problems (Gales & Yan, 2008). Much of the current research dedicated to the development of
teaching techniques and learning strategies suggest employment of constructivist or discovery learning
approaches to promote meaningful learning and student success.

Constructivism is viewed as a meaning–making theory that offers an explanation

of the nature of knowledge and how human beings learn. Knowledge, as viewed here, is acquired
through an involvement with content rather than imitation or repetition. According to this
explanation of learning, “individuals create or construct their own new understandings or
knowledge through the interaction of what they already know and believe and the ideas, events,
and activities with which they come in contact (Boudourides, 2003). Moreover, a constructivist
view of learning holds that the student, in trying to make sense of new events or objects, begins
from relevant existing ideas, and tests the extent to which the new phenomena can be explained
using these existing ideas. If a prediction based on a related existing idea fits the new
observations, then the range of applications of the idea or model is extended; if the evidence
does not fit the prediction, however, this may mean that the idea or model has to be modified or
rejected in the light of the new evidence. To acquire meaningful learning, the students therefore

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require a deliberate effort to relate new knowledge to relevant concepts they already possess.
Based on the learning perspectives as described above, one of the instructional approaches,
concept mapping, could offer a means for course design, which promotes the development of a
structured course within a good pedagogical framework (Christensen, 2003). By means of
concept maps, students would foster meaningful learning. Constructivism is recognized as a
unique learning theory in itself.
Constructivism suggests that students learn concepts or construct meaning about ideas through
their interaction with others, with their world, and through interpretations of that world by actively
constructing meaning. Students relate new knowledge to their previous knowledge and experience. A
constructivist model of teaching has five characteristic features: (a) active engagement, (b) use and
application of knowledge, (c) multiple representations, (d) use of learning communities, and (e) authentic
tasks (Siemens, 2005). According to this approach, the mathematics role of a teacher is to tutor students
and educate them how to learn mathematics. He or she is a mentor, facilitator, helper, and mediator for
learning, not just a "purveyor of knowledge" or "supplier of facts." The teacher must provide a learning
environment that allows students to generate their own knowledge by experiencing and interacting with
the environment (Hill, 2002).
Peter, Abiodun & Jonathan (2010) investigated the effect of instructional approach based on
constructivism teaching on mechanical trade students in Western Nigeria technical colleges. Elements of
constructivism assessed include concept mapping, cooperative work skills and cognitive apprenticeship.
Pretest-posttest control group design was adopted for the study. A total of 106 students in mechanical
related trades of two years were randomly selected from four technical colleges spread across the south
western Nigeria States. 46 students were placed in the experimental group while 60 students were placed
in the control group. Results showed a significant difference between the students taught through
constructivism teaching approach than those in the control group. Experimental group outperformed
control group in concept mapping, cooperative work skills and cognitive apprenticeship. Significant
difference did not exist between male and female students exposed to the constructivist approach.
Constructivism instructional approach was recommended by the researcher.

Paul & Dantani (2012) carried out a study to determine the effect of lecture and demonstration
methods on academic achievement of students in Chemistry in the Nassarawa Local Government Area of
Kano State. Fifty-eight (58) Chemistry students (boys and girls) in the Senior Secondary School One (SS1)
from two randomly selected schools were involved in the study. Necessary data were collected and the
validated reliable data were analysed using t-test at a significant level of 0.05. Results obtained
revealed that students perform better in Chemistry when taught using the demonstration method as
compared to the lecture method. The boys and girls are better in academic achievement when taught
using demonstration method than when lecture method was used. The demonstration method shows
equality in the performance of boys and girls. Hence the adoption of demonstration methods in the
teaching and learning of Chemistry and science in general is hereby recommended.

Nayak (2011) conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of constructivist approach on

learning process, achievement in mathematics and mathematical creativity. Primary school children of
fifth class were taken as sample of the study in three different urban schools of Odishain India. Pretest-
posttest control group quasi-experimental research design was used. Significant difference was found
between experimental and control group on learning process, achievement in mathematics and
mathematical creativity. Experimental group outperformed control group. Results revealed that

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constructivist approach is better than traditional approach to improve learning process, achievement in
mathematics and mathematical creativity of primary school students.

Statement of the Problem

Students' performance in Mathematics at all levels of education is not encouraging. Poor
academic performance in mathematics and knowledge of mathematics concepts is due to a number of
factors, Most of the secondary school mathematics teachers still use the traditional method of teaching
the subject, the reason for this situation is because majority of teachers were taught in their school’s days
by teachers who mainly used the traditional method of teaching and so the teachers of today only copy
the way they were taught (Azuka 2013). Conventional or traditional method of teaching are not sufficient
in mathematics teaching. Algebraic fraction is one of the important Mathematical concepts that is very
vital for student's Mathematical development. Despite all of it relevancy it was found that Secondary
School students find it very difficult. This difficulty was attributed to the teacher use of traditional method
in teaching the topic that is why most students graduate with memorize information as they ate not given
chance of problem solving. This study therefore committed to provide empirical data on what will be the
effectiveness of Constructivist and Demonstration method on Mathematics performance and retention
of senior secondary school two (SS2) students in Sokoto state.
Objectives of the Study.

The objectives of the study are to find out: -

1. Difference in mean performance of Senior Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using
Constructivist and those taught Algebraic fraction using Demonstration method.
2. Difference in mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools Students
taught Algebra using Constructivist method.
3. Difference in mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools Students
taught Algebra using Demonstration method.
Research Questions.

Based on the above objectives, the following research questions are formulated to guide
the study:
1. Is there any difference in mean performance of Senior Secondary Schools Students taught
Algebraic fraction using Constructivist and those taught Algebra using Demonstration method?
2. Is there any difference in mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools
Students taught Algebra using Constructivist method?
3. Is there any difference in mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools
Students taught Algebra using Demonstration method?
Hypotheses.
The following null hypotheses are to guide this study: -

H01. There is no significant difference in mean performance of Senior Secondary Schools

Students taught Algebra using constructivist method and those taught Algebra using
Demonstration method.

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H02.There is no significant difference in mean performance between male and female Senior
Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using Constructivist method
H03. There is no significant difference in mean performance between male and female Senior
Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using Demonstration method.
Method
A quasi experimental design was considered to be the appropriate research design for this study. Pre-test,
Post-test. Experimental and control group was used, the experimental group was subjected to the
treatment (Teaching Algebra using constructivist approach) while the control group was
subjected to the Teaching Algebra using Demonstration method.
Population
The target population of this study comprises all the Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) students
in Sokoto State. There are 119 public senior secondary schools with total of 83,738 students from
which 56,752 are male and 26,986 are female distributed among 6 Educational Zones. Purposive
Sampling technique was used to select two (2) senior secondary schools in Sokoto metropolis, intact
classes were selected using convenience sampling. The sample size for the study was 164 students
consisting of both male and female students.

Table 1: Sample of Students

S/N Name of Schools Group SS2 Males SS2 Females Total
1 G. D. S. S. Arkilla Experimental 42 37 79
2 G. D. S. S. Minannata Control 47 38 85
Total 89 75 164
Instrument
The research instrument that were used for this study is Algebraic Performance Test (APT), researcher
consist of five items and each was scored 20marks for each correct answer. The lowest possible
score is 0 and the highest possible score is 100. The test consists of 5 theory questions on algebraic
fraction for the students to be answered all, which was based on the topics covered.
Validity of the Instrument
Validity simply implies a degree or extent to which a test measure what it is expected to measure.
For this purpose, the Algebraic Performance Test (APT) was subjected to face validation, the
instrument was given to experts, colleagues, lecturers, who are specialist in the field in the
Department of Science and Vocational Education, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and
other teacher from Mathematics Department Usmanu Danfodiyo University Model Secondary
School Sokoto, Nigeria for validation. So as to determine how effective it is measuring students’
performance and retention. All the comment and suggestion made by the experts were used in
modifying the items.
Reliability of the Instrument
The instrument was pilot-tested at Senior Secondary School namely: Shehu Shagari College of
Education Staff School. Twenty (20) SS2 students was pilot tested, which were not part of the
sample but part of the population of the study. The Mathematics performance test was
administered twice to the students using test-retest method with two weeks’ interval as

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recommended by Tuckman (1975). Data obtained after the test was analyzed using Pearson
Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (PPMCC), which was found to be 0.902 which is reliable.
Data Analysis and Result
This section presents analysis of all the research questions raised in the study and for clear understanding
the analysis was done taking the research questions one by one.
Research Question 1: Is there any difference in mean performance of Senior Secondary Schools Students
taught Algebra using constructivist and those taught using demonstration method?
Table 2. Mean Difference of Performance of Students Taught Algebra Using Constructivist and
Demonstration Methods.
Method N Mean Standard Deviation Mean difference
Constructivist (EG) 79 84.8 16.1
19.39

Demonstration (CO) 85 65.4 25.2

Table 2 Results show students taught Algebra using constructivist method performed better than those
taught Algebra using demonstration method. There is a mean difference of 19.39 in favour of
experimental group over the control group. Results were subjected to hypothesis testing using t-test
analysis and are presented here as an empirical study.
Researcher Question 2: Is there any difference in mean performance between male and female Senior
Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using constructivist method?
Table 3. Mean Difference of Algebra Performance Between Male and Female Students Taught
Constructivist Method.
Gender N Mean Standard Deviation Mean Difference
Male (EG) 42 69.6 18.2
17.7

Female (EG) 37 51.9 21.2

From Table 3 showed the mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools
Students taught Algebra using constructivist method, which indicates that mean performance of male
students was found to be (69.6), and also mean performance of female students was (51.9). Therefore,
there is a mean difference of 17.7 in favour of male experimental students taught Algebraic using
constructivist methods
Researcher Question 3: is there any difference in mean performance between male and female Senior
Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using demonstration method?
Table 4 Mean Difference of Algebra Performance Between Male and Female Students Taught Using
Demonstration Method.
Method N Mean Standard Deviation Mean Difference
Demonstration male (CG) 47 37.4 19.4
-12.29
Demonstration female (CG) 38 49.7 17.7
Table 4 showed difference in mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools
Students taught Algebra using demonstration method. The result showed that the mean performance of

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male students was 37.4 while the mean performance of the female students was 49.7 and the difference
between the samples was -12.29.
Testing the Null Hypotheses
This part presents inferential statistical analysis of all the null hypotheses formulated to guide the study.
The null hypotheses were tested one after another at 0.05 level of significance
Null Hypotheses 1 (H01): There is no significant difference in mean performance of Senior Secondary
Schools Students taught Algebra using constructivist method and those taught Algebra using
demonstration method.
Table 5. Analyses of Mean Performance of Students Taught Algebra Using Constructivist and
Demonstration Methods.
Method N Mean SD DF T-value P- value Decision
Constructivist (EG) 78 84.8 16.1 161 8.71 0.000 Rejected
Demonstration (CO) 85 65.4 25.2
α- value= 0.05
Table 5 showed that, p-value of 0.000 was less than the α- value of 0.05 (p < α) hence the null hypothesis
which says (There is no significant difference in mean performance of Senior Secondary Schools Students
taught Algebra using constructivist method and those taught Algebra using demonstration method) was
rejected this is because the p-value is less than the α- value.
Null Hypotheses 2 (H02): There is no significant difference in mean performance between male and female
Senior Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using constructivist method.
Table 6. Difference in Mean Performance between Male and Female Students Taught Using
Constructivist Method
Gender N Mean SD DF T-value P- value Decision

Experimental male 42 69.6 18.2 77 6.43 0.000 Rejected

Experimental female 37 51.9 21.2

α- value= 0.05
Table 6 showed that, p-value of 0.000 was less than the α- value of 0.05 (P < α) hence the null hypothesis
which says (there is no significant difference in mean performance between male and female Senior
Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using constructivist method) was rejected.
Null Hypotheses 3 (H03): There is no significant difference in mean performance between male and female
Senior Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using demonstration method.
Table 7 Difference in Mean Performance between Male and Female Students Taught Using
Demonstration Method.
Gender N Mean SD DF T-value P- value Decision
Control male 47 37.4 19.4 83 -2.79 0.006 Rejected
Control female 38 49.7 17.7
α- value= 0.05
Table 7 showed that, there was no significant difference in mean performance between male and female
Senior Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using demonstration method. This indicate that p-
value of 0.006 was less than the α- value of 0.05 (P < α) hence the null hypothesis which says there is no

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significant difference in mean performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools Students
taught Algebra using demonstration method was rejected.
Discussion
The result of this study indicated that there was significant difference in mean performance of
Senior Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using constructivist method and those taught using
demonstration methods. The result revealed that Students taught Algebra using constructivist method
perform better than those Algebra using demonstration method. This finding is in line with the finding
Nayak (2011) who conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of constructivist approach on learning
process, achievement in mathematics and mathematical creativity. Primary school children of fifth class
were taken as sample of the study in three different urban schools of Odishain India. Pretest-posttest
control group quasi-experimental research design was used. Significant difference was found between
experimental and control group on learning process, achievement in mathematics and mathematical
creativity. Experimental group outperformed control group. Results revealed that constructivist approach
is better than traditional approach to improve learning process, achievement in mathematics and
mathematical creativity of primary school students.
There was significant difference between male and female students taught Algebra using
constructivist method. This study disagreed with the findings of Peter, Abiodun & Jonathan (2010) who
investigated the effect of instructional approach based on constructivism teaching on mechanical trade
students in Western Nigeria technical colleges. Elements of constructivism assessed include concept
mapping, cooperative work skills and cognitive apprenticeship. The result shows that significant difference
did not exist between male and female students exposed to the constructivist approach.
From the findings of this study it was discovered that, there was significant difference in mean
performance between male and female Senior Secondary Schools Students taught Algebra using
demonstration method. The study showed that, the female Senior Secondary Schools Students taught
Algebra using demonstration method perform better than the male Students. It further agreed with the
findings of Paul & Dantani (2012), who carried out a study to determine the effect of lecture and
demonstration methods on academic achievement of students in Chemistry in the Nassarawa Local
Government Area of Kano State. Results obtained revealed that students perform better in Chemistry
when taught using the demonstration method as compared to the lecture method. The boys and girls are
better in academic achievement when taught using demonstration method than when lecture method.
The demonstration method shows equality in the performance of boys and girls
Conclusion
Constructivist in this study depends on approach of instruction. The students exposed to constructivist
method had a superior understanding ability than those exposed to the demonstration method of
teaching Mathematics. In general, constructivist method have proved to be effective in promoting
meaningful learning and students’ academic performance in Mathematics.
Recommendations

1. Mathematics teacher should use constructivist method in teaching senior secondary school
mathematics since it enhances students’ mathematics performance.
2. Teachers using demonstration method of teaching should be improved so as to meet the gaps
between the two (constructivist and demonstration) methods
3. The school authority should allocate more time and tutorials to students and also provide all
materials necessary for construction in mathematics.

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